text

all images taken with Canon PowerShot A520

1.sky unedited: 8/25/07; 1:45 pm; New York City; f 5.0; 1/1000
2.street unedited: 8/25/07; 1:30 pm; New York City; f 2.6; 1/160
3.NYC edited: increased saturation; color overlay of light yellow, reduced opacity; picture overlay of cabs on the street, reduced opacity; added text and changed layer blend mode to “color burn”; finished with black brush tool on layer mask over text to make splotchy effect

The two pictures I used in this piece were both taken a couple years ago in New York City. It was fun to finally do something cool with some of the pictures I took from that trip. I enjoyed trying a couple different things with my text in this picture, but this way was my favorite of all the little text effects that I tried.

grunge

all images taken with Canon PowerShot A520

1.flower unedited: 8/25/07; 9:40 am; New York City; f 5.5; 1/100
2.texture unedited: 9/23/09; 6:15 pm; Rexburg; f 2.6; 1/60
3.grunge flower edited: color overlay of rust brown, reduced opacity; pulled pixels from green channel of the texture picture and dropped them over the image, reduced opacity; added a levels layer and changed layer blend mode to “hard light,” reduced opacity

I love this picture. It is also from my trip to New York City a couple years ago. My texture picture I took of a rock from the gardens when I was shooting landscape shots. I love the effect of the texture overlay with the original image and am thrilled that this is something I now know how to do. I didn't realize how easy it was to get such a nice effect!

landscape

all images taken with Canon PowerShot A520

1.red barn: 9/26/09; 4:32 pm; Idaho Falls; f 8.0; 1/400
2.wooden fence post: 9/26/09; 4:30 pm; Idaho Falls; f 3.5; 1/1000
3.the gardens: 9/23/09; 6:20 pm; Rexburg; f 2.6; 1/80
4.bridge: 9/23/09; 6:30 pm; Rexburg; f 3.5; 1/80

I wasn't sure where to go to take my landscape shots so I started in the gardens. I took quite a few pictures there but only came out with a handful that I actually liked. A few days later, I was in Idaho Falls and took advantage of the opportunity to shoot some pictures of this red barn I am in love with. I have seen it before and I think it is such a pretty scene. I noticed on the wooden fence between me and the barn that there was one fence post that had a greenish tint, which I thought was really cool so I tried a macro landscape effect with that as my focus. The brightness and saturation was raised slightly in all of these pictures.

cutout

all images taken with Canon PowerShot A520

1.prayer unedited: 9/18/09; 12:30 pm; Rexburg; f 2.6; 1/15
2.prayer edited: cutout with quick selection tool; refined edges

I decided to take a picture of this little figurine because it is one of my favorite “cute” things that I own—it used to be my Grandma's—and I just love the simplicity and the elegance of it. I thought it would make for a nice, clean cutout. After I cut it out with the direct selection tool and refined the edges with a light feather, I brightened it a little in Photoshop.

color study in yellow

all images taken with Canon PowerShot A520

1.sunflower: 9/18/09; 4:30 pm; Rexburg; f 4.5; 1/1250
2.shoes: 9/18/09; 4:40 pm; Rexburg; f 3.5; 1/500
3.truck: 9/18/09; 4:25 pm; Rexburg; f 2.6; 1/1250
4.blossoms: 9/18/09; 4:45 pm; Rexburg; f 3.5; 1/1250

It took me awhile to decide what color I wanted to focus on, but after a few days of admiring some gorgeous sunflowers by my apartment and spotting a bright yellow truck in my complex parking lot shortly thereafter, it became clear that yellow would provide for some vibrant and lively shots. I really like the shadows in #2 and the different shades of yellow they bring out in the shoes. I was also really pleased with the shallow depth of field in #4 where the yellow flowers got blurred in the background and made for a nice effect. Number 1 was originally a little darker so I lightened it a bit, and if you'll notice there is a bee (sick) right in the middle of the flower.